Paul McDonald said trying out for "American Idol" last summer was a spur-of-the-moment notion he hoped might help publicize his band's self-titled CD, "Grand Magnolias."
"I happened to be in town, and the audition was like five minutes down the street," said the Nashville resident, who is the son of UTC physical therapy instructor Susan McDonald.
"Our guitar player's girlfriend at the time was on 'So You Think You Can Dance,' and she was like, 'Go do this!," McDonald said in a recent telephone interview with national media. (A transcript of the interview was supplied to the Times Free Press by "American Idol.")
The front man for Grand Magnolias worried whether the move might hurt his reputation as an indie artist, he said.
"That was one of my main concerns: Is it worth the credibility? That's the one thing I've always wanted in my career, no matter how rich or poor, is to have respect in the music community."
McDonald said he "went in with no expectations," but ended up singing on "the biggest platform you can have right now."
"You can't pay for press that gives you 30 million people watching you every night," he said of the Fox network's top-rated show.
The singer known as much for his quirky dance moves as his raspy-voice sound got the boot from viewers last Thursday.
He placed eighth out of 13 finalists.
He already has plans to record more of his original songs and to work again with "Idol" duet partner Kendra Chantelle. He'll be on tour with the "Idol" finalists this summer. McDonald confirmed he's dating "Twilight's" Nikki Reed.
And ultimately, the Grand Magnolias did reap the results of his success.
Billboard reported last month that since McDonald had been on "AI," "Grand Magnolias" CD saw an increase in sales of 146 percent, reaching as high as No. 4 on iTune's Rock Albums chart last month.
On his original songs vs. covers: "I'm actually not very good at singing other people's songs. I've learned that in the past, that's why I started playing my own songs. There's only so much you can do singing other people's songs and getting them across."
That raspy voice: "This is a grueling schedule, and my voice has kind of been out of it most of the competition, just because I've been touring for so long. Sometimes I can get away with it; it gives it that raspy, kind of off-key, vibe. We don't get too much sleep, and I need sleep for my voice. Yes, I've had some issues ... a bunch of time you could tell it was not 100 percent.
His pearly whites: I've never had professional whitening done. I use Advanced Vivid White toothpaste and I don't drink coffee or Cokes.
His signature suits: I had those outfits made for me before the show. I actually broke my bank on that first white suit before I came out to Hollywood. (USA Today reported the white suit was custom-made by Manuel Cuevas Jr. at a cost of $4,500.)
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.